Hard on the heels of Canonical's decision last month to halve the support life for non-LTS releases of Ubuntu Linux, the company late last week announced that three versions of its popular Linux distribution will reach end of life in May.
Support for the server version of Ubuntu 8.04 Long Term Support (LTS) "Hardy Heron," the desktop version of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx," and both desktop and server versions of Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" will end on May 9, Canonical announced in a blog post on Friday.
Anyone still using these packages should be making plans to upgrade to a newer version.
Ubuntu 8.04 Server
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Hardy Heron made its debut back in 2008, at which time Canonical pledged to support the desktop version for three years and the server version for five years.
Support for the desktop edition ended in May 2011, but next month it's the server version's turn. After May 9, Ubuntu Security Notices will no longer include information or updated packages for Ubuntu 8.04.
Ubuntu 10.04 Desktop
Ubuntu's 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" release, meanwhile, came out on April 29, 2010, at which time Canonical committed to ongoing security and critical fixes for three years on the desktop. After May 9 Ubuntu Security Notices will no longer include information or updated packages for Ubuntu 10.04 Desktop, but the server version will continue to be supported for another two years.
The supported upgrade path from Ubuntu 10.04 is via Ubuntu 12.04. Instructions are available on the 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" Upgrade page on the Ubuntu site.
Ubuntu 11.10 Desktop and Server
Last but not least, Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot," a non-LTS release, was launched in October 2011 with 18 months of support. The supported upgrade path from Ubuntu 11.10 is via Ubuntu 12.04, instructions for which are available online.
